Independent Study

During the final four weeks of the program, you can choose to use your new language and cultural skills and the academic knowledge you have acquired to complete an Independent Study Project (ISP) on a topic of interest to you or complete an Internship with a local community organization, research organization, business, government agency, or international NGO

Student ISPs on this program have been many and varied over the years, including those based on arts practica and the social sciences. In the social sciences, students have produced high quality works on topics including:

Sample topics:

Nomadic organization in transition

Cashmere trade and cultural interaction with China and Siberia

Buddhist painting, sculpture, and architecture

Environmental impacts of mining

Symbols of collectivism and pastoralism in daily life

Cultural perceptions of Mongolian medicinal plants

SIT internships are hands on and reflective. In addition to completing the internship, you will submit a paper processing your learning experience on the job and analyzing an issue important to the organization you worked with, and/or you will design a socially responsible solution to a problem identified by the organization.

The Mongolia program offers a wide variety of internship opportunities focused on geopolitics, civil society, environmental and natural sciences, or humanities through its longstanding network of government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and private businesses.

Sample internship sites:

Providing children with food, healthcare, clothing, and accommodation, as well as education, counseling, and support to help them break free of the cycle of poverty at Lotus Children's Centre

Working at the Mongolian University of Life Sciences, a research-oriented university focusing on veterinary medicine, animal science, biotechnology, agroecology, engineering, economics, and business

Key Topics of Study

The search for balance between environmental conservation and natural resource development

Rapid urbanization and the rise of urban consumption in the context of a dramatic influx of foreign direct investment

History, traditions, and livelihood of Mongolia's nomadic communities and their challenges caused by Mongolia's political transformations, development policies, and climate change

Socioeconomic transformations and political reform

Mongolia's Third Neighbor Policy and diplomatic engagement with major global economies, including the US, and regional relations with China, Russia, and North Korea

Mongolia's path to political and economic development

Mongolia's development policies and its attempt to address issues of rapid urbanization and growth

Diversification of national and local economies away from mining

The international roots of Mongolian culture and similarities and differences between contemporary Russian, Chinese, and Central Asian cultures

Money Matters

Be sure to discuss how study abroad costs are handled at your school with your study abroad advisor.

SIT tuition and room and board fees include the following:

All educational costs, including educational excursions

All accommodations and meals for the full program duration

Transportation to and from the airport, and on all educational excursions

Health and accident insurance

Scholarships:

SIT awards nearly $1.6 million in scholarships and grants annually.

All scholarships and grants are need-based.

Awards generally range from $500 to $5,000.

The SIT Pell Grant Match provides matching grants to all students receiving Federal Pell Grant funding when it is applied to an SIT Study Abroad semester program.

Contact the financial aid and/or study abroad office(s) at your college or university to learn if your school’s scholarships and grants and federal and state aid programs can be applied to an SIT Study Abroad program.

NOTE: The deadline listed is for REGISTRATION with the Reves Center! The APPLICATION itself will be due to the third-party provider or host university DIRECTLY, based on THEIR deadlines (which may be before or after the W&M registration deadline listed above).

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